The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-08-06


but the one With the sword must be noble
horn, thought Bots Gilbert, SO he addressed
him:
Greeting. noble sir" he began. "and
canst tell w where stands the castle Of a
sturdy knight called Uncle Sam? II is be
We seek, and by the light Of Our Lady,
brow. twere the worse for him II we find
him The man in the blue coat sat on his
horse for moment. silent, ~ II puzzled.
then he looked up and said courteously:
Somebody's been fooling YOU. sir Uncle
Sam is the government Of this country
You see that fort over there? Well, that is
one Of Uncle Sans outposts Your compa
ny here couldn't get within thousand miles
Of Uncle Sans headquarters at Washington
with any warlike intent"
(" Marry, and 'twere a gallant knight
could hinder Behold here our"
"Y-yes, T see. know who you are,
I've read all about you. You're Brian de
Bots Gilbert, and all those are others Of
SCOTS knights But let me tell you, my
friend. things have changed since you were
on earth the first time. You can't 90 ca
reering around the way you used to. Pow
der has been invented since your day. Those
iron armors are no good You couldn't
stand the fire Of one of Uncle Sans smallest
out posts. ! work for Uncle Sam and know.
| know all about you, my friend, and ad.
wise you to keep away from Uncle Sam and
his Boys in Blue. You stand no chance at
all. Why, even dozen cowboys could
whip you whole army. You'd better go
back The blue coats story with the COW
boy illustration seemed to make little i'm.
preston upon the knight, He was thought
full for moment and then said:
ave. noble sir, who ever conquered Fitz'
James or Marmion?" proudly pointing out
the knights rs he named them, "or who ever
thrust truer lance than Brian de Bots Gil.
bert ?"
"Yes, yes, | know" said the blue coat,
" but that was when you were on earth the
first time. That was long time ago The
world has improved since then. You aren't
half as big a toad now IS you used to be.
You take my advice now, and fight shy of
Uncle Sam With that the three blue coats
rode away. A council was held by the lead
ing knights and it was unanimously decided
that the outer castle of Uncle Sam must be
eseiged. This brave body of knights must
conquer every thing in their path Except |
the cowboys, and they were bewiched by |
tie, with strong walls of masonry, and, ap-
parently. with regular defenses. 1t would
be easy, indeed, to scale those low battle
ments. The entire body of knights drew
up before the castle and sent in a demand
for its surrender. Fearing that some one in
there might have little short spear that
flashed lightning, they waited the reply at
a respectful distance. Yet no sooner had
their object become known than there was
puff of smoke from the middle of the wall,
and something came right into their knight.
ly ranks and exploded, tearing up the
ground and hurting horses and men to
The earth. Then came another and another.
fhe slaves and serving men. and even most
Of the squires, were so terrified by this aw-
full noise and destruction that they immedi.
ately fled, but the knights, aroused to their
full courage, formed in battle line and
rushed frantcally at the "cas,le." But
hey never got there small battery of
ten or twelve guns, with shells, solid shot
and grape and canister, with plenty of Unit.
ed States powder behind it, was TOO much
'or their knightly valor. They were stretch
ed upon the ground like grass before a
mower, as shell after shell screeched past
hem, or exploded in their midst. Again
and again did they rally and charge at the
'ort, but Uncle Sans artillery was too much
or them, and in half an hour the last squire
,ad fed, and the last knight was stretched
lpon the field.
With the boom Of the last visionary can
ION, the first bright light of day peeped
through the window curtains, and | awoke
The knights were all back in the Inferno,
where it is to be hoped they will stay. The
ce-cream and toothache had done their per.
ect work and had subsidized. 1t was morn
ng, and all vas calm. And as gently came
he daylight through the crystal window.
zane, then methOught / heart the echoes of
bugles dim refrain, and the last, faint,
Letting vision of Sir Walter and his knights
vas shadow in corner made by dim, con
licting lights. As rubbed my eyes, half.
pen, there saw the figure and of a little
might, on horseback, with his lancet in his :
'and. But as one by one the shadows van
shed meath the morning sun, as the dark
f night was over and the reign of light be
un, soon the little knight In armor, starting
or some castle hall, was pair of old sus.
lenders Imply hanging on the wall. One
y one our strange decisions vanish at the
reak of day. One by one our dreams
row our vapid, and our fsncies fade away
III, how many fairy castles fade to rubbish
s they fall, leaving just some old suspend
rs Imply hanging on the wall